1. Field Of The Invention
The invention relates to the treatment of baked shredded wheat to increase its shelf stability. The invention also relates to the treatment of baked shredded wheat to retard the oxidation and subsequent rancification of the oil in the baked shredded wheat. The invention also relates to the treated, baked shredded wheat.
2. Background Art
The manufacture of shredded wheat biscuits is disclosed in Matz, Samuel A., "Cereal Technology", The Avi Publishing Company, Inc., Conn., (1970), pages 231 to 235. Shredded wheat biscuits differ from most other prepared breakfast cereals in that they are made from whole grain without the addition of any flavor and without the removal of the germ or bran.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,174,982 discloses a process for making shredded or flaked cereal foods from cereal grains, such as, wheat, rye, corn or oats.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,416 discloses a process of a flaked or shredded cereal from whole grain.
To help preserve the natural wheat flavor in the SPOON SIZE.RTM. Shredded Wheat marketed by Nabisco Brands, Inc., (1986 copyright) butylated hydroxytoluene is added to the packaging material.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,069,265 discloses a method of inhibiting rancidity in fats and oils normally subjected to rancidity. The process includes mixing a refined glyceride fat and oil subject to rancidity with a small percentage of an oil-containing seed including anti-rancidity constituents sufficient to inhibit substantial rancidity in such glyceride, producing a direct infusion of the seed in the glyceride, and separating the treated glyceride from the seed fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,855 discloses preparing bakery products, such as, cakes, crackers, sweet goods and bread, wherein alcohol is incorporated in the dough. The bread is said to have outstanding characteristics of flavor and appearance. The ethanol allowed better control over the bread production process, for example, the ethanol had an inhibiting effect upon yeast growth. Prolonged shelf life was achieved by the Pat. No. '855 process, but such was not attributed to the ethanol inclusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,189 discloses a convenience food article including a dough admixture comprising water-washed starch, water-washed gluten, water and a sufficient quantity of ethyl alcohol to improve shelf-stability and quality of the food article. The ethyl alcohol is not in excess of about 60 percent of the total liquid in the dough. There is a container impervious to alcohol-vapor with the dough admixture sealed therewithin. While it is, of course, well known that ethyl alcohol may be used as a preservative for some purposes, it has been found that ethyl alcohol cannot be used to preserve dough or batter products for any length of time under ambient conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,401 discloses a process of producing shelf stable dehydrated rehydratable pasta products having greater than usual moisture contents, by cooking the pasta products in a solution comprising polyhydric alcohols, salts and an antimycotic. The expression "polyhydric alcohol" refers to alcohols with two or more hydroxyl groups, most typically such alcohols as glycerol, propylene glycol, sorbitol, mannitol and mixtures thereof. However, the expression "contemplated in this invention" also includes a variety of sugar alcohols which may be classed by the number of hydroxyl groups and the general formula HOCH(CHOH).sub.n CHOH, where n has values from 2 to 5, such as tetritols, penitols, hexitols, heptitols, etc., as well as stereoisomers thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,964 discloses baked food additives which comprise certain esters of polyalcohols, such as, esters of 1,3-diols and 1,3,5,x-polyols, are dough conditioners, anti-staling agents and preservatives.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,710 discloses a liquid, ready-to-use batter mixture which is chemically and bacteriologically stable. In addition to conventional batter components such as flour, water, shortening and flavoring, the batters contain effective amounts of ethyl alcohol to prohibit bacterial growth in the mixture at room temperature. The amounts of ethyl alcohol are also effective to prevent an increase of viscosity of the mixture by controlling the swelling of the flour by the water. Pat. No. '710 also discloses a food convenience product having a batter disposed in a container that is impervious to alcohol vapor wherein sufficient amounts of ethyl alcohol are present to inhibit bacterial growth in the mixture at room temperature so that the mixture is suitable for human consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,121 discloses the stabilization of wheat germ by conversion into a stable, palatable food product through combined operations of mechanical homogenization and subsequent heat treatment. The raw wheat germ is initially homogenized and plasticized by confined exposure to elevated temperatures and pressures while being extruded into a cohesive sheet or ribbon. Thereafter, the extrudate is preferably crushed to reduce the particle size and thereafter is subjected to a dry heat treating operation wherein the temperature is raised to the range of about 400.degree. F., which modified surface oils and moisture, with the surface residue encapsulating certain components in the matrix so as to sharply retard rancidification.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,031 discloses a method for sterilizing foods and food products, such as, natural spices, hydrogenated fats, grain and grain flours (e.g., wheat) and dehydrated or partially dehydrated fruits. The method includes contacting the material with ethanol in the vapor phase maintained at a temperature within the range of 78.degree. to 150.degree. C. for a time sufficient to reduce the bacteria load of the product, and separating the sterilized product from the vapor. The method of Pat. No. '031 is particularly well suited for the treatment and sterilization of a variety of natural spices including peppers (e.g., black pepper), nutmeg, cloves and the like. Because ethanol does not form an azeotrope rich with the volatile oils contained in the essence of such natural spices, the ethanol does not result in the loss of such oils as is the case with steam. Example 5 shows wheat flour being contacted with ethanol vapor at 211.degree. F. and 20 psi.
Pat. No. '031 states that it was surprisingly found that ethanol vapor is more effective as a sterilizing medium than heat or ethanol in the liquid phase. Example 1 of Pat. No. '031 treats regular brown black pepper with ethanol in the vapor phase, with heat and with liquid ethanol (95 percent). Heat provided better sterilization than liquid ethanol.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,445 discloses the use of 3 to 8 percent of edible humectants, such as, glycerol, in formulated, ready-to-eat, food compositions of intermediate moisture range. The food compositions are shelf stable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,511 discloses flowable dextrin powders containing about 30 to 60 percent of ethanol sorbed therein which are prepared by sorption of an aqueous alcohol solution with particulates of expanded dextrin having a bulk density of from 0.05 to 0.30 grams/cubic centimeter, a dextrose equivalent of from 5 to 15 and a moisture content of 2 to 6 percent. The powders are stable when hermetically packaged. It is recognized that most carbohydrate materials have the capability of sorbing relatively small amounts of ethanol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,208,476 discloses extruding doughs to prepare food products. The doughs can include, for example, vegetable protein sources such as wheat germ and wheat germ meal. If semi-moist pet foods are prepared, polyhydric alcohols can be incorporated in the dough to stabilize the product by preventing microbiological growth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,315 discloses the inclusion of an edible alcohol, e.g., ethanol, in refrigerated dough.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,801 discloses a refrigerated dough which contains a volatilizable edible substance, e.g., ethanol, having a vaporization temperature of less than about 200.degree. F. and a packed specific volume of greater than about 1.25 cc/gm. The dough provides higher specific volumes upon baking. The dough is at least partially chemically leavened and is adapted for containment in a container for storage under refrigerated conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,590 discloses a process of preparing rapid-cooking pasta from a dough of wheat and water. To further improve the keeping quality of the pastas, an alcohol, such as, ethanol, propylene glycol, an organic acid, glycine and/or sodium chloride can be added to the dough. In Table 1 the addition of 2 weight percent of ethanol by itself resulted in 90 days of storage without any deterioration in palatability.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,711 discloses ready-to-eat baked goods which are of high quality and are shelf stable for up to one year. The baked goods are prepared from doughs containing base-batter mix, water, sugar and at least 5 percent by weight of an edible, liquid polyhydric alcohol, such as, glycerine.
British Patent No. 1286/1857 discloses applying anesthetic agents, such as, ethers, chloroform and sulfuret of carbon, to corn, other grains and alimentary substances to destroy insects which attack them and by retarding or preventing fermentation. The substances to be treated are placed in closed vessels or chambers and then the preservation agent is introduced in the liquid or vapor state. For dry grain, a twenty-four hour exposure sufficed to destroy any insects; and it was stated that the treated grain was susceptible of being preserved in the closed chamber until required for use.
Canadian Patent No. 699,278 discloses a method of preserving grain, seeds, bulbs, tubers, meat, fish, cereal products and other foodstuffs against attacks by insect infestation, such as, weevils, or by mildew and similar fungal attack forming a heap thereof in ships' holds, silos and other containers and spraying at least one of the surface of such heap and the upper internal surface of the container with ethyl alcohol. The amount of alcohol is relatively small, say one quart to every three or four bushels of grain. The ethanol evaporates in the container. Canadian No. '278 states that by research and experience it was found that grains, seeds and cereal products may be preserved for substantial periods against insect and fungal attack if they are kept in an atmosphere containing the vapor of ethyl alcohol, so its invention comprises storing such materials in such manner. The storage is done in sealed containers or under plastic sheets, for example, in order to maintain the solvent-vapor atmosphere. If the grain or other foodstuffs or substances being preserved are in a container proof against entry of insects or fungi it is not necessary to maintain the alcohol vapor therein during the entire period of storage. Thus, for example, grain in a sealed silo may be sprayed with alcohol all traces of which vanish after a year, but the grain is preserved for four years or longer. The use of methylated ethanol is also disclosed. Besides grain, various cereal products such as corn flakes, bran, grits and the like, may be treated in the same manner. Wheat and shredded wheat are not specifically mentioned in Canadian No. '278. Canadian No. '278 states that it is not practicable to treat flour or other finely powdered products in this way without special precautions, because the material cakes and the alcohol vapor does not penetrate fully therethrough.
Canadian No. '278 discloses that it is known that immersion of animal or vegetable materials in alcohol will preserve them and museum specimens are often preserved in this way. But such preservation would not only be exceedingly expensive if applied upon a large scale, but would defeat its own ends in that the grain or other material is hardened by the alcohol and rendered indigestible. By the method of Canadian No. '278, in which the preservation is carried out primarily by alcohol vapor, the grain or other material is not hardened or rendered indigestible or unpalatable.
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 52-047938 discloses preparing a dry alpha-starch preparation by immersing boiled rice in water or an aqueous ethanol solution, drying the rice and rapidly heating the starch to 160.degree. to 300.degree. C. within minutes for swelling and dehydrating. The alpha-starch has a high preservation property
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 55-133480 discloses antioxidant compositions for the preventing of the oxidation of vegetable oils, such as, purified palm oil, animal oils and marine product oils. The antioxidant composition contains tocopherol, gallic acid, ethyl alcohol and triglyceride having intermediate chain length.
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 59-011169 discloses sterilizing foodstuff by absorbing ethanol on its surface by contacting it with ethanol vapor or liquid ethanol at relatively low temperature for, say, 5 to 20 minutes (a standing period). The foodstuff is then contacted with superheated ethanol vapor (say, 90.degree. to 170.degree. C.) under atmospheric pressure (for, say, 2 to 20 minutes) to evaporate ethanol from the surface of the foodstuff. The concentration of the ethanol in the superheated vapor is preferably about 95 v/v percent. Examples of the foodstuffs sterilized are cereals and noodles.
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 60-054650 discloses preparing a rice preparation by treating polished rice with ethanol at 55.degree. to 60.degree. C. for 10 to 15 minutes and then drying the treated rice to remove ethanol. The process removes rice bran and rice bran oil remaining on the surface of the polished rice. The treated rice easily absorbs water.
Japanese Published Patent Application No. 60-083531 discloses preparing nutritious pickles using a mixture of ume extract (containing vinegar) and ethanol. The vinegar and ethanol readily penetrate the raw vegetable.